Attachments
by Arya Asterion
Summary: Anakin is still a young padawan. When another padawan's master dies, he aims to bring comfort, but he ends up learning an important lesson himself. Short and sweet MY first published fanfic, so please tell me watcha think!


Anakin stood still and quiet. It was a show of respect. Master Athimar's death had been a surprise to everyone. He looked around at the various members of the Jedi temple watching the Jedi master go up in flames as each wore a look of sadness on their faces. In the corner of his eye, he saw a girl standing at the fringes of the group. She looked slightly younger than him, maybe twelve standard years or so. Anakin had never met her before, but he assumed that she was the master's padawan, by the look on her face. He looked up at Obi-wan beside him and tried to imagine what it would be like to lose him. Unimaginable, he shuddered, he looked back up to the padawan, but she was no longer there.

* * *

After, Anakin was walking alone down the halls of the temple. Obi-wan was staying back for a little longer dealing with some council stuff, and had sent him ahead to bed. _'Little padawans need their sleep you know'_ Obi-wan's voice echoed faintly in his mind, yet Anakin still took the longest way he knew to get back.

Suddenly he could feel another lingering presence, almost as if there wasn't even a person there. The moonlight filtered through the windows of the temple, and illuminated a cloaked figure, sitting up against the wall. Anakin recognized the signature as the girl he had seen earlier.

"Hi, I'm Anakin," He said, approaching the young girl. Her dark cloak covered her, but he could still see her intense blue eyes framed by her face, as she looked up at him. She wiped away a tear,

"I'm Isis," He heard her faintly say as he sat down beside her in the darkened corridor.

"You're sad?" He asked. It was more of a statement than a question though. Of course she was sad, her master had just died, but as he looked to her face, he saw something rather unexpected. She was carefully contemplating his words along with other thoughts swirling around her mind.

"What is it?" Anakin asked, suddenly realizing that there was more to this than he thought. She glanced up at him, hesitant to share. He understood if she didn't want to share, it couldn't possibly be anything easy to say. After a moment she abruptly broke the silence,

"It's just something that's been tugging at the edge of my mind, especially since master Satele's death." Anakin watched her, listening intently, "You know the part of the Jedi code that talks about letting go of the past and not having attachments" He nodded as she continued, "I don't agree with it" Anakin, while slightly taken aback, let her continue, "Wait that came out wrong… I mean, it was based upon good intentions and all, but I, uh, don't think it is what is should be anymore." She waited a moment, letting the words sink into Anakin's mind. _He sure looks confused_, she thought,_ by the look on his face, he's probably going to run to his master, oh sith, why did I even say anything in the first place?_

"So what do you think it's supposed to mean then?" Anakin inquired, surprising her. She took a minute, before she answered.

"Well, I think that it's supposed to be something where we don't let possessions or attachments cloud our decisions. They're not completely a bad thing, you know? They should be something that keeps us going even when we feel weak. It should be an aid when there's nothing left to cling to. Even now with Master Athimar dead, I shouldn't let this lost soul take away my focus in the present, but I should be inspired by the strength that I can find within our bond. It should be her legacy that I cling to, not the mere person of her."

She continued talking, completely oblivious to Anakin listening to her words. Her mind was somewhere far away, and Anakin didn't dare interrupt, letting himself get swept away by her powerful words as well.

It was honest and innocent.

Yet wise, in an unforeseen way of simplicity.

It resided deep in the truth.

It resonated deep within Anakin's heart.

It showed him things he'd never realized before.

Could the mere words of a padawan change the thinking of Anakin Skywalker enough to save him from a terrible fall later on?


End file.
